The present invention relates in general to electrical distribution systems for automotive vehicles, and, more specifically, to connector systems for adapting flat flexible cables to plug-in connectors.
An automotive vehicle utilizes many electronic modules and systems. For proper operation, the electronic modules are connected to one another through one or more wiring harnesses to distribute electrical power and various signals (e.g., commands and data). To facilitate assembly and repair of the electronic modules in the vehicle, connectors are used to couple the wiring harnesses to the electronic modules. Insulated cables (i.e., wires) are typically bound together forming various routing segments using straps, cable ties, adhesive tape, and/or conduits. Besides requiring labor-intensive processes of manufacturing, wiring harnesses may occupy a large volume within the automotive vehicle and may add significant weight. The bundling of wires may also restrict the ability to dissipate heat generated by power losses in wires carrying high current levels.
Flat, flexible cable technologies are being adapted for use in electrical distribution for automotive vehicles to reduce system volume and weight. Due to the increase in surface area of a flat wire relative to a round wires usually used in wiring harnesses, heat is more easily dissipated and higher current levels can be handled even while the total mass of the conductors and volume of the harness are reduced.
Flexible flat cable systems (such as ribbon cables) employ one or more insulating layers embedding a plurality of flat conductor wires. Typically, a flexible plastic film is used as a base for the insulating layer. Flat metallic conductor strips are laminated to one surface and are sometimes etched to obtain a desired circuit pattern. An insulating topcoat may then be laminated over the wiring pattern. End terminations for the wires typically employ an uncovered pad at an endpoint of a run of the flex cable. Various terminal connectors specifically configured to handle flex flat cable wiring are known for including in a module or other components in order to connect them to a ribbon-type cable.
Typical electronic modules and other components in automotive electrical systems have been designed with plug-in connector interfaces to the wiring harness. These interfaces do not accept the types of terminal connections that are provided with the flat cables. When switching over from round-wire harnesses to a harness using a flexible flat cable system, it has been necessary to redesign the modules which connect to the harness or to added specially designed adapters to convert between connection systems. The time, effort, and cost of redesigning the modules may impede the incorporation of flat wiring into the wiring harness and deter a vehicle manufacturer from obtaining the weight, volume, and other advantages of using flat wiring.
Even when the target modules or components to be connected to the flat wiring harness have compatible terminal connectors, the flat cable systems can have a disadvantage wherein the terminal ends become damaged during handling of a laminated cable section as it is transported to a location where the connector elements are assembled onto the harness. The wire ends may be comprised of very thin sheets (i.e., foil) of copper or aluminum that may be easily damaged, especially when the wire traces extend out from the insulating layers as an unsupported blade or finger.